PyeongChang 2018 'Chat to a Champ' ready to kick off

David Morris

EDUCATION: With just 193 days until the 2018 Olympic Winter Games are officially opened, athletes vying for a spot on the Australian Team are connecting with schools across the country to share the ups and downs of their journey to PyeongChang.

Olympic silver medallist, David Morris heads a group of eight athletes from the sports of Alpine Skiing, Snowboard Cross, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing and Skeleton participating in the Australian Olympic Committee’s (AOC) web video conference program called Chat to a Champ.

David Morris is looking to make his third Olympic appearance at the 2018 Games and is excited to share the twists and turns of being an Aerial Skier.

“I hope to provide an insight into the sort of life I lead as an athlete, which I know can be very different to that of a school student,” Morris said.

“However, many of the lessons I have learnt as an elite athlete can be applied to these kids, be it in their own sport or other endeavours.”

Primary schools have been linked with one of the athletes to follow online; reading their blogs, looking at personal images and videos, following competition performances and chatting online in Term 3 and 4.

Then during the Winter Games in Term 1, 2018, these primary schools will have an exclusive chat with their athlete, live from the Olympic Village in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Morris will dial into a ‘Chat’ session with four different schools this Wednesday at 10am AEST, which will be 6pm in his current training location.

“I am currently training in Park City, UTAH in the USA, so it will be fun hear some little Aussie accents and share my experiences on the other side of the world with them,” said Morris who claimed a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships in Spain.

“I hope that I can not only share my love of winter sports with Aussie students but also I hope I can convey a similar message that encourages them to lead an active and healthy lifestyle.”

Students in Year 5 from Fahan School, located in Sandy Bay, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, are looking forward to chatting with Morris on Wednesday and following his journey to right up to the start line at PyeongChang.

“It’s an excellent program,” Fahan School teacher David Hodgman said.

“It enables kids to get an inside view into the preparation required to be an Olympian and the dedication they have for their sport.

"We participated in the Rio 2016 program and are so excited to be involved again, this time learning about our Australian Winter athletes and hopeful being a part of their journey to Olympic success."

Chat to a Champ not only relates to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) studies but to a range of generic skills, essential learnings and key learning areas for primary school students.

“Not only is it exciting to chat to athletes as they train in all different corners of the world, it also gives students the knowledge of things happening in our community, in Australia and around the world,” Hodgman said.

Chat to a Champ is just one element of the AOC’s education program that teaches life values and life skills through the Olympic sport traditions and values. It was established for the 2008 Olympic Games and in an Olympic first connected athletes with school students live from the Olympic Village in Beijing 2008. More than 3,000 students have participated in the program since then, with many more watching online.